Voltage-regulating apparatus



VOLTAGE REGULATINGAPPARATUS Filed May 26, 1923 UNSATU/FATED V INVENTOR G. elaw Patented June 2, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES R. BEALL, OF SWISSVALE, YENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE UNION SWITCH & SIGNAL COMPANY, OF SWISSVALE, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

VOLTAGE-REGULATING APPARATUS.

Application filed Kay 28, 1923. Serial No. 641,883.-

I! '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES R. BEALL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Swissvale, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Voltage-Regulating Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to voltage regulating apparatus, and particularly to apparatus adapted for use between a source of energy and a current consuming device for regulating the voltage applied'to such device.

I will describe one form and arrangement of apparatus embodying my invention, and will then point out the novel features thereof in claims.

The accompanying drawing is a diagrammatic view showing one form and arrangement of apparatus embodying my invention.

Referring to the drawing, the reference character B designates a current consuming device, and as here shown is an electric lamp. This lamp is supplied with alternating current from a generator A over line wires 1 and 1. In actual practice the electromotive force applied to lamp B may vary through a wide range due to a number a of reasons such as poor regulation of the generator, changes in other loads not shown in the drawing but which may be supplied from generator A, etc. Under some conditions of operation this voltage fluctuation is undesirable and in my present invention I reduce this fluctuation as follows: A device C is connected across the terminals of lamp B. As shown in the drawing this de- -vice C comprises a reactor having an iron core and is so designed that at normal voltages the flux density of the iron is approximately at saturation. If the voltage across lamp B and device C increases. the impedance of the device C decreases and the device will draw a correspondingly increased proportion of the total current. Intel-posed between one terminal of device C and one of the line wires 1 is a second. device D the impedance of which increases as the current through this device increases,

and which may therefore be termed a bal-' through device D is of course the sum of the" currents through lam B and device C. If the voltage between line wiresl and 1 increases, the increased current through device I) will causea corresponding increase in the impedance of that device, thus reducing the voltage increase applied to the terminals of the lamp and the device C connected in multiple therewith. This increased voltage, though smaller than the total increase in line voltage, causes the impedance of device C to decrease, and as a result, this device draws a larger proportion of current, thus further reducing the voltage increase applied to the terminals of lamp B.

It will be clear from the foregoing that for a given increase in line voltage, a considerably smaller increase occurs in the voltage at the lamp terminals.

Although I have herein shown and described only one form and arrangement of apparatus embodying "my invention, it is understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and scope of my in "ention'.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. In combination, a current consuming device, a circuit for said device comprising a source of electrical energy and means having the characteristic of increasing in impedance in response to increase in the elec-- tromotive force of said source, and a. re

actor connected in parallel with said device which is normally very low, and a reactor and having an iron core the flux density of connected in parallel with said device and which is normally such that the iron is prachaving an iron core the flux density of tically saturated. which is normally such that the iron is prac- 2. In combination, a current consuming tically saturated. device, a circuit for said device comprising In testimony whereof I affix my signature. 2. source of electrical energy and a reactor having an iron core the flux density of CHARLES R. BEALL. 

